


The Joy Boutique

by Anestshia



Category: Original Work
Genre: Angst, Gay Marriage, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Scars, Shounen-ai
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-19
Updated: 2013-07-19
Packaged: 2017-12-20 18:05:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,419
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/890237
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anestshia/pseuds/Anestshia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Aizou has recently been saved from captivity and his brother, Shinji, takes him to buy clothing. Because of his unique body type, his clothes have to be tailored, leading them to 'The Joy Boutique' where the best tailor in town works. Feliciano, the tailor, is fascinated by the fact that Aizou doesn't talk and determined to figure out why. This leads to him discovering Aizou's abuse as well as remembering his own, the pain in their pasts bringing both me closer.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Joy Boutique

**Author's Note:**

  * For [cutsycat](https://archiveofourown.org/users/cutsycat/gifts).



> This story is a commission that the commissioner has graciously allowed me to share. 
> 
> Feliciano, Aizou and Shinji belong to me.  
> Arachne belongs to Natalanisha. Yes, i did have permission to play with her!  
> 'The Joy Boutique' is a shop of my own making, if there is a shop named this, it was not intended!
> 
> This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance of characters to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. The Author holds exclusive rights to this work. Unauthorized duplication is prohibited.

Shinji wrinkled his nose as they walked in the brightly lit shop, feeling a bit of trepidation spread through his body at the sheer amount of clothing there. He hated clothing shopping. He’d wear his until they fell apart and beyond before he’d go shopping for new ones. It wasn’t like he didn’t have the money, they had more than enough money now, he just hated the entire process. But this wasn’t for him. No, this was for his younger brother, Aizou. The clothing he wore hung off his body, much too large even though they’d gotten the smallest sizes they could find for his height. It wasn’t that he was particularly skinny; he just had a peculiar body type that made finding well fitting clothes impossible. So, now that they could afford it, they were going to get his clothing tailor made for him. 

“You’re sure this is the place?” The store was simply named ‘The Joy Boutique’ but it supposedly housed the most talented tailor in this half of the country. There were some very nice clothes, yes, but nothing screamed that they had been made by such talented hands. Shinji lifted the sleeve of a shiny, bright pink shirt, chuckling as he looked over at his brother. “Are you sure we haven’t just walked into some gay man’s worst dream?” 

Aizou just smiled at him, gesturing that they were in the right place before he stepped further inside. Slim fingers trailed along soft fabric as he wandered through the shop, a content smile on his face. He stopped when he saw a shirt that looked like a panther curled around it, the animals bright, yellow eyes staring formidably at anyone that dared to look at it. 

“You like that one?” Shinji asked, stepping forward to lift the hanger off the rack, turning the shirt around to look at the back. It wasn’t something he’d like but Aizou was an animal lover through and through, especially big cats. But, as pretty as the panther was, he knew for a fact that the other man’s favorite cat was a tiger. “I bet you could ask him to do a mosaic of a tiger instead, what do you think?” 

He waited for a few moments, blowing wayward blond bangs out of his eyes when they fell forward. But it was useless, Aizou still didn’t speak. His brother just nodded before walking away, apparently intent on wandering around some more. Shinji sighed, shaking his head before following the redhead, the shirt he’d liked draped over his arm. Even now that they were safe, the younger man couldn’t break out of the mindset that he couldn’t speak. When Aizou veered towards the pants, Shinji called out to him, stopping where he was. “You have to pick out more than one shirt. You need a wardrobe, not an outfit.” 

Aizou turned to look at him, a perfectly contoured eyebrow rising over an inquisitive green eye. His arms crossed over his chest as he cocked his head, the movements speaking volumes even if he didn’t say a word. 

Shinji sighed, grumbling under his breath as he stepped forward. “Ok, I know we only talked about getting one outfit but you need more than one. You can’t be comfortable in your clothes and we have enough money-” He stopped when Aizou narrowed his eyes, reaching up to rub the back of his head. “I know you don’t really want to use the money but we have to, Aizou. We went through hell; it’s the least we deserve.” 

He almost winced when his brother completely deflated at those words, cursing internally at his own tactlessness. He had to remember he’d been free for a lot longer that the younger man. It wasn’t going to be as easy for Aizou to be flippant about it as it was for him. He reached out, brushing back the younger man’s shoulder length locks before touching his cheek. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said it like that. I know you hate where this money came from because it…” He searched his mind, trying to think of a good way to put it. When he came up blank, he just abandoned the sentence, gesturing towards the pants. “You know what? Never mind, lets just look at pants. As long as we get one outfit, it will be good.” And, hopefully, that would help the redhead return to his previous, happy mood. 

His tactic worked but it led to his own torture. Aizou… Aizou liked clothing shopping. It was mind boggling the amount of pants he tried on. None of the mens pants fit him right, or even close to right. Shinji hadn’t known what to think when his brother had started trying on girls pants. But, it worked. It only took a few pairs of pants before he found a style that almost fit him. The length was too short but that was to be expected. The redhead wasn’t the tallest man, topping out at only five foot six, but his tiny waist usually led to the pants being too short. He reached out when his brother came out of the dressing room, taking the pants he’d decided to keep. “Ready?” 

Aizou just nodded, his shirt rising up a little as he hefted the large pile of pants into the returns cart, revealing a still healing scar that curved around his side. He smiled when he was done, smoothing his clothes down and cocking his head towards the counter. 

Shinji followed his silent direction, walking with him towards the oval shaped counter, a sign reading ‘Checkout’ hanging above it. It stood in front of a partition of curtains, the room behind just visible through the opening of the draped fabric. He assumed it was what consisted of the shops backroom, seeing as there was no other, obvious place for it to be. “I guess this is where we ask.” He murmured, reaching up and tapping the bell, the ding echoing through the silent shop. 

Mere seconds passed before man stepped out of the backroom. His clothes spoke clearly of opulence, the suit he wore perfectly tailored to his body, clinging to all the right places. His blond hair was just a shade darker than Shinji’s, cut to feather around his face, framing perfect skin and sparkling blue eyes. The tattoo of a flaming skull clearly visible on the left side of his neck made Shinji swallow in an attempt to lubricate his suddenly dry throat. If Aizou’s shocked expression was any indication, his little brother found the man just as attractive as he did. He cleared his throat before trying to speak, laying the clothing on the counter. “Ahhh, are you… are you Feliciano?” 

“That would be me.” Feliciano answered, a smooth, Italian accent making the words sound almost musical. “How can I be of assistance?” 

Shinji could think of more than way he could ‘be of assistance’ but none of them were proper to say in public. He hadn’t expected the tailor to look like this. He’d expected an old man with graying hair and a stern expression, like the ones he saw in movies. Feliciano was a lot younger than he’d thought he would be… and amazingly hot. “Umm, my… my brother.” He said, pointing at Aizou. “He needs some custom tailored clothes, right, Aizou?” 

Feliciano looked over at the redhead when Shinji pointed at him, leaning against the counter as glove covered hands plucked up the shirt and pants settled before him. “You do? Do you want these specific items tailored or do you want something like them?” 

Shinji held his breath when Aizou opened his mouth like he was actually going to speak, struggling to hold in his groan of disappointment when he didn’t. He could tell, the younger man was entranced by Feliciano. He hadn’t seen him show interest in anyone since they’d been reunited. This could prove to be very interesting. His own blue eyes met his brothers green ones, a plea for help held in the look. He sighed before smiling and looking up at the tailor again, pushing his hands into his pockets. “He wants something similar.” 

“Hmmm.” Feliciano cocked his head, folding the items carefully, his eyes calculating as he looked over at the redhead. “And what changes would you like made?” He asked, addressing Aizou to see if the smaller man would speak to him. 

Shinji, ever holding out hope, waited for a few moments before speaking again, answering for his younger brother. “He really likes the shirt but he’d rather a tiger than a panther. If it’s not possible, he’d like to have the panther tailored for him. He likes the pants but the design is a little… girly. If it could be changed a little to something more like what you had on the male mannequin, he’d like that.” 

Feliciano nodded and pulled out a pad, writing down the specifics for the order. “I can make him anything he wants, the stitching of the tiger will simply take extra time.” He sat the paper down, pulling his gloves off as he stepped around the counter. His hands showed the signs of his labor, scars from needles and scissors littering his long fingers. He dropped the gloves to the counter, stepping in front of Aizou. “I’ll need to do basic measurements.” He murmured as he reached forward, his hands settling on the redhead’s waist, following the curve of his slim waist as he pulled them up his sides. There was nothing sexual about his touch; he was simply very good at taking measurements by eye. But, to do that, he needed to see the actual curve of his body. “I’ll do the starting design before you come in for your first fitting and we can get more concrete measurements.” 

Aizou let out a shaky breath, his Adams apple bobbing from a deep swallow as he raised his arms and those talented hands slid further up his body. He looked over at Shinji then, his cheeks flushed. 

“Will you call us when you’re ready for a fitting?” Shinji asked, shifting a bit where he stood. He was glad he wasn’t in Aizou’s position, especially when Feliciano’s hands moved to his legs. He wasn’t certain he would have been able to take it. It was a miracle his brother wasn’t freaking out. It just proved he really was attracted to the blond haired tailor. Even if the clothes didn’t work out, he was certain this would be a good experience for the redhead. 

“Yes, I just need you to write down your information here.” Feliciano murmured, handing him an order paper before picking up his pad again and writing down the rough measurements he’d taken. He smiled when Shinji handed the paper back, stapling the two together. “I’ll call within a few weeks to have you come back in. Thank you very much for choosing ‘The Joy Boutique’ for your clothing needs.” 

He waved when the two men walked out, letting out a soft sigh as he leaned back against the counter. He couldn’t help fidgeting just a bit, tapping the papers against the counter as he cocked his head. That had been a very… interesting encounter. He was used to the looks of lust whenever a customer saw him for the first time but the cute redhead’s gaze had held more than lust. There was a type of… wonder, like he felt him infinitely fascinating. He had to admit, the feeling was mutual. “Hmmm, he doesn’t speak…” 

“It could just be a personal choice.” 

Feliciano looked into the dual blue and green eyes of his assistant as the woman walked out of the back room, rolling his eyes at the knowledgeable grin he received. “Don’t give me that look like you know exactly what I’m thinking.” 

“But I do know what you’re thinking.” Arachne responded, hopping up on the counter and crossing her legs, smirking at him. “You’re fascinated. You’re imagining a thousand different scenarios about why he doesn’t talk. You’re not even thinking about the possibility that he’s mute; you’re concocting some soap opera type story about a stolen voice. You’re already hopelessly infatuated with him as proven by the way you did his measurements.” 

“Him not talking is not natural. Didn’t you see the way his brother kept looking at him? He was hoping he would talk. There has to be some reason he doesn’t talk.” Feliciano answered defensively, not liking the way Arachne seemed to be able to read his mind. He waved off her statement about the measuring, grabbing the pad and pushing his way through the curtains, tossing it onto his work table. “It takes too long to use a tape measure, is all.”

“So that necessitates you touching him all over like that?” The woman answered, her own entrance into the room a bit more graceful, the curtain falling closed behind her. 

Feliciano just shrugged, giving her his most innocent smile. “Hey, there have to be some benefits to the job.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was three fittings in before Feliciano got any alone time with the redhead, a note written to him by Shinji explaining that he couldn’t come with his brother because he had his dream job interview. If he needed any questions answered, he could text his phone and Shinji would do his best to answer him as soon as he could. As he cinched the back of the shirt, drawing with chalk where it still needed taken in more, he decided to take his chance. He wasn’t sure if he would get a chance alone with Aizou again and he just had to try to get him to open up to him. He couldn’t let the cutie leave without hearing his voice at least. 

“Is it comfortable like this, nightingale?” He asked, the nickname rolling off his tongue with ease, like he’d been using it for years instead of the scant weeks he’d been doing fittings for the man. He sighed when the smaller man nodded instead of speaking, moving his focus to the pants. The waist was perfect by they were still a little long. He had a rule. It was better to be long than short, fabric could be removed but it could not be added. He squinted a little bit, estimating the length that needed taken off, marking it before speaking again. “That should make it so you’re not walking on them.” He said, smiling at the other man. He heart warmed when Aizou smiled back at him, the expression brightening the man’s entire face. 

God, Arachne was right, he was infatuated. 

Feliciano couldn’t help reaching up, his scarred palm sliding against Aizou’s cheek. He’d seen the younger man’s scars during the fittings and couldn’t help feeling a connection to him. Not all his scars were from accidents, after all. His father had not appreciated his only son going into the ‘gay’ career of sewing clothing. He was lost enough in his own thoughts that he almost missed the way Aizou flinched from the touch, his eyes going wide as he pulled his hand back. “Ahhh, I’m sorry. Ummm, we’re done for today. You can go get changed.” He sighed when the redhead walked away, reaching up and tugging his own hair. “Stupid. You’d already assumed he’d been hurt. That was a stupid move, stupid!” 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A week later, Feliciano had, had plenty of time to think about the revelation he’d had during Aizou’s last fitting. He knew he couldn’t ask the redhead outright but, luckily, his protective older brother had once again come with him to the fitting. He waited until the redhead was changing before approaching the other blond, his hands in his pockets. “Can I be free with you, Shinji?” 

“Free?” Shinji asked, cocking his head in confusion. “Uhhh, I guess so.” 

Feliciano nodded, looking back towards the fitting room before speaking again. “Aizou has been abused, hasn’t he? He went through something that permanently scarred him, something that made him think speaking was against the rules, didn’t he?” 

Shinji’s blue eyes widened almost comically, a soft sound escaping him. “Did… did he tell you that?” He reached forward, grabbing Feliciano’s shoulders. “Did he speak to you?!” 

“No, but, by your reaction, I can only assume I’m right.” Feliciano answered, breaking off the conversation when Aizou walked out of the fitting room. He smiled at the younger man, clapping his hands a couple times. “Ahhh, if I had you modeling all my clothing, I’d be making more money than I would know what to do with.” 

Aizou just blushed at the compliment, wiggling a little as he stepped up onto the raised platform, his happy smile showing through even as his hair fell around his face like a curtain. 

Feliciano was actually a little disappointed when he found the clothing fit perfectly. This… should be it. He should let Aizou and his brother walk out with the outfit and forget about this… but he couldn’t. He hadn’t had enough time, especially not after his suspicions had just been confirmed. So… he made something up. “Ohhh, I am so sorry, it seems I’ve made the shoulders too narrow.” He said, pressing his hand against Aizou’s back where the soft fabric spread over it. “If I leave it like this, it will strain and might even tear. I am so terribly sorry!” 

Shinji blinked in shock at the clear distress, waving his hands a bit. “It’s fine. Ummm, we’ll just come in for another fitting next week. Is that ok with you, Aizou?” 

Aizou nodded, seeming to relax a little bit at the thought of coming in for another fitting. He turned, smiling at Feliciano before nodding. 

Feliciano smiled at them both, his mind spinning before he suddenly spoke, his words almost too fast to understand. “I am so, so sorry about the inconvenience. How about this? If you’ll agree to a couple more fittings, I’ll make you some free clothing. I’ve never had a model with your body type, anyway, and I wouldn’t ask you for any compensation, just your time.” He crossed his fingers behind his back, his smile genuine when both brothers agreed to the deal. He was putting more work on himself but it was worth it. At least he had a few more weeks to spend with Aizou.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The offer of free clothing had led to the making of a very complicated, time consuming, multi-piece suit. Every man needed a nice suit, after all. It didn’t hurt that it took a couple months to put together all the pieces, either. It was nearly four months after meeting the fascinating young man that Feliciano was putting the finishing touches on the suit. He smiled as he buttoned the jacket, his hand trailing down Aizou’s chest in the pretense of smoothing down the near silk material. Arachne had woven him quite the fabric to make this particular masterpiece out of it. “Let’s take a look.” He said, reaching up for Aizou’s hand, helping him down off the platform and leading him to panoramic mirrors situated under the skylight in the middle of the shop. 

The redhead made quite the handsome picture. 

Feliciano stood behind him, adjusting the suit, his hands wandering, smoothing fabric in some places, moving it in others. He really didn’t need too but he would take any chance he had to touch the younger man. Ever since that first, disastrous, touch to his cheek, they had both become much more comfortable with each other. He’d even had the very pleasurable experience of Aizou’s hands hesitantly touching him on numerous occasions. They hadn’t said anything but their feelings were painfully obvious. There was no doubt they liked each other… and Feliciano didn’t want to leave his feelings unspoken any longer.

“Aizou… I…” He took in a deep breath, trying to calm the staccato beat of his heart. This was risky. If he was wrong and the redhead didn’t feel the same about him, he’d lose him forever. They wouldn’t even have their friendship to fall back up. But, he wasn’t going to let that stop him. Just because he’d been hurt… betrayed, in the past, that didn’t mean it would happen. “Aizou, I love you.” 

He jumped when the smaller man jerked away and spun around in front of him, wide, green eyes looking up at him. Feliciano was at a loss for words then, his hands shaking as he lifted them, ohhh so carefully touching the redhead’s cheek. “I’m so sorry if you don’t want to hear this but… but I have to say it. Ever since the first time I met you, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you. My clothing, they cost hundreds to thousands of dollars for outfits but I needed to keep you close so badly that I wouldn’t care to give it all to you for free.” 

He swallowed, building up his courage before continuing his speech. “I know you’ve been hurt. God, I’ve been hurt too and we both deserve to be happy. You might not be able to believe me but I really do love you. I love everything about you, from your love of reading to the way you look when you even think about eating mushrooms. I want… I want to be everything for you. God, I want to hear your voice.” 

When Aizou shrank back a bit from the statement, he continued quickly. “But I don’t have to. I don’t care if you never speak, you’ll still be my nightingale. I’m horrible at charades but I will learn for you.” Feliciano could feel his embarrassment rising when the younger man just kept watching him, his face an emotionless mask. “I just want you. I want you, problems and all. I love you. You don’t have to love me just… please give me a chance.” He didn’t have time to say anything else, almost falling over when he suddenly had his arms full of a very affectionate redhead, warm lips pressed snug against his own. 

Well, apparently he had his answer. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was less than two months later that all of Aizou’s orders were done, only six months after he’d met the amazing young man. Feliciano’s hands were shaking a little bit as he packed the remaining clothes in a box, waiting for the redhead to be done changing into his street clothes. He’d wanted to offer him more clothes; it was the only surefire way he knew to ensure he would stay… that he’d get more time with him. But Arachne had threatened him with quitting if he kept giving clothing away. It was cutting into his profits and their paychecks. He knew the woman thought their relationship was adorable but she needed to make a living too. Even if he was willing to give the younger man everything he had for free, he had to keep his employees in mind. 

He turned when he felt a hand on his shoulder, leaning down, meeting Aizou’s lips in a slow, passionate kiss. This was something he would miss so much. After their first kiss, there wasn’t a fitting that went by where they didn’t share at least one embrace, sometimes a lot more than that. He couldn’t help the way his hand shook when he pulled back, touching the smaller man’s cheek. “I guess this is goodbye.” He whispered, brushing their lips together again, relishing the feeling of the slim body in his arms. He had to force himself to let go, closing his eyes as he handed the box over. “Goodbye.” 

“Thank you.” 

Feliciano’s heart about stopped when he heard the words, his eyes flying open. He hadn’t seen his mouth move but he’d definitely heard the words, a voice he’d never heard before. “So beautiful!” He grabbed him, pulling him forward quickly enough that Aizou dropped the box, immaculately packed clothing spilling across the floor as Feliciano kissed him almost desperately. He held him close, not giving the redhead an inch to wiggle away. “I can’t lose you! Please, please say we can still each other. Please, go out with me!” It felt childish to say but he couldn’t stop to think of a better way to say it now. 

The blond held his breath as he looked down at Aizou, his heard thumping hard as he waited for his answer. He shook as time drug on, seeming to slow down exponentially. His smile was so big it almost hurt when the man simply nodded yes, his lips still curved as he kissed him again. It didn’t seem like a lot, but those two words, two words that he heard a thousand times a day, were the most precious thing he’d heard. Six month didn’t seem like a long time in the grand scheme of things but these six months had changed him life completely. He couldn’t be happier.

His nightingale had finally sung for him. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Two Years Later ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Talk, talk~” Feliciano had Aizou pinned under him, relentlessly tickling his sides. It was the night of their wedding anniversary, the night marking their first perfect year of marriage together. When most couples would be sharing a secret getaway, he was intent of making his redhead tell him where he’d hidden his present. “You can’t hold out forever, tell me!” He chuckled a little himself when Aizou’s laughs only got louder as he continued to tickle him, attacking his very sensitive armpits now. 

“Ahhh! I give up! Mercy!” Aizou called out after an additional two minutes of tickling, his body quivering and his breath panting out as he grinned up at Feliciano. He shifted slowly under him once he caught his breath, pressing up against him with a grin that didn’t hold a shred of innocence. “Check the bed.” 

Three words, Aizou still didn’t need to say a lot to get his point across loud and clear. Feliciano was more than happy to chase his husband to their bedroom, smiling happily as he fell onto the bed with him. No more words were shared after that, only kisses and loving embraces. Aizou still didn’t talk as much as a normal person but it didn’t matter. He managed to get his point across with expressive looks and sometimes vulgar body language. And, sometimes, he liked to tease him by not talking but, he always made up for it. God, the blond loved that about him 

His life with his nightingale was just perfect.


End file.
